The Director at the Henson Robinson Zoois on a short list of people who get called around the country to move, and re-home alligators.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Doug Hotle is the Director at the Henson Robinson Zoo, but he is also an expert alligator handler. 

Hotle is on a short list of people who get called around the country to move, and re-home alligators.

Recently, he traveled to the Philip Park Zoo in Aurora, Illinois to move two alligators: one weighing 250 pounds, and the other one weighing 600 pounds. 

"I think people think that it looks pretty easy, but once you jump on, you're totally committed and there's no going back," said Hotle. 

Hotle said he thought by this time, he would be working a desk job, but every time someone calls needing help, he has to answer the call. 

" I've done it many, many times with a lot of the different zoos around the country," said Hotle. " So everything from lizards to giant snakes and venomous snakes and alligators and crocodiles, I've been dealing with really all kinds of reptiles, alligators included, for about 45 years now." 

Hotle is passing on his knowledge and training to a new generation of zoo experts on how to wrestle alligators and other large reptiles. He is also trying to develop new methods of containing the reptiles to be safer for the people and the animals. 

Henson Robinson Zoo currently has three alligators. All of them are were previously confiscated from homes. 

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